Khabib Nurmagomedov has defended his UFC lightweight title against Conor McGregor

Cary Erickson
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10 October, 2018, 10:45

He would smash McGregor, talk to him, maul him, make him exhausted, barrack his corner and eventually make him tap.

Unfortunately for Conor McGregor, the pre-fight antics of the bus attack and usual verbal onslaught at the numerous press conferences simply didn't have the desired effect on the cool-headed Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov. "We're regulated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, or whatever state we're in".

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor will make lock horns later tonight (tomorrow morning as per IST) as the two men get set for war at UFC 229 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The post-fight meleé has gained so numerous headlines but the fourth round finish will rankle McGregor for a while yet. After McGregor tapped, referee Herb Dean had to restrain Nurmagomedov and push him away from McGregor.

McGregor did well defending Khabib's attempts to get him to the floor in the first minute and then the Russian started showing off his apparelled grappling skills completely overpowering his opponent.

U.S visa or not, we can definitely see Nurmagomedov and McGregor fighting again.

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White said that it would be now up to the Nevada State Athletic Commission to decide if Nurmagomedov would face further sanctions.

"Khabib said "I'm ready for this", but I said the other 20,000 people in here aren't ready for this".

White confirmed there had been three arrests for the post-fight fracas. For all the training and preparations - for all the takedowns he repelled and escaped from - he was beaten the way many pundits, fighters and fans predicted. For me, it's personal.

That is the opinion of former UFC fighter Dan Hardy.

McGregor agreed that the rivalry between the two would extend past Saturday, which was certainly the case in the immediate aftermath. "I'm going to settle this the noble way for myself and then see what happens after that". I always say you should aim for peace, but if you can't aim for peace, aim between the eyes. "Never, ever, ever over".